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10-member eves’ cadet wrestling team selected

Express News Service New Delhi, July 27:

A ten-member girls’ team in the freestyle event has been selected for the forthcoming Asian Cadet Wrestling Championships to be held at Bangkok from August 9 to 13.

According to an official, the trials were held on Wednesday at Hisar, the venue of the camp till the departure of the team. The official announcement of the squad, though, is yet to be made.

Initially, four wrestlers were selected for each of the weight categories . That was for the first phase of the camp. The number, however, was then pruned to half that, after trials.

The selection was made after a series of bouts between the grapplers, says an official. The best was selected in each of the groups to represent the country.

Going by the progress in the camp and performance of those selected for the Asian competition, it indicates that the team may maintain the medals tally - if not go further — which it had won in the last edition of the competition held in Japan. The Indian eves had bagged seven medals last year.

According to an official, Indian grapplers will be pitted against some top wrestlers from China, Japan and Korea. Indian eves had also won overall second position in the 2004 edition of the cadet competition held in Bisheek (Kyrgystan).

THE SQUAD: Girls (freestyle)
38kg: Kavita (Haryana); 40kg: Kavita (Haryana); 43kg: Priyanka Singh (UP); 46kg: Kaushlya (Maharashtra); 49kg: Babita (UP); 52kg: Shilpi (Haryana); 56kg: Sushma (J&K); 60kg: N. Tombi (Manipur); Jayawanti (Haryana); 70kg: Anmol (Haryana).

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Fewer wrestlers expected at national tourney in Fargo

Associated Press 7/21/06

FARGO, N.D. - Rule changes are to blame for fewer wrestlers at this year's USA Wrestling national tournament here, officials say.

More than 4,000 wrestlers have taken part in recent years, but this year only about 3,500 athletes are expected.

"The new rules have hurt us a bit," said Pete Isais, director of national events for USA Wrestling.

Most notable is the change in scoring from two 3-minute periods to three periods of 2 minutes each. A wrestler has to win two of the three periods to win the match.

"Now it's more like a tennis match," Isais said. "Best two out of three wins."

A pin still immediately ends a match.

Greco-Roman also has a different look than in the past. A period consists of 1 minute wrestling in the standing position and two 30-second episodes on the mat.

Isais said the changes were made to make the sport more appealing to fans and to television.

The tournament begins its 14th year in Fargo on Saturday with the preliminary rounds of the Cadet Greco-Roman division.

"It's our 14th year and we're getting better at it every year," North Dakota State University wrestling coach Bucky Maughan said.

NDSU is the local organizing arm of the tournament. A new three-year contract between the university and USA Wrestling will keep the event in the Fargodome through 2008.

The event that concludes July 29 is actually six national tournaments rolled into one. National champions will be crowned in Cadet (ages 15-16) Greco-Roman and freestyle, Junior (ages 17-18) Greco-Roman and freestyle, girls freestyle and girls Junior national duals.

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Local Wrestlers score NAIG medals in Denver

Jul 20 2006

Shenaya Setah grapples another wrestler during the North American Indigenous Games July 7-9 in Denver, Colo. Setah was one of five local wrestlers at the event. Setah took gold in the 105-pound Schoolgirl (13-14) class.

The Denver skies were overcast but the medals hanging from the necks of Laketown wrestlers shone brightly at the North American Indigenous Games, held July 7 - 9. Close to 5,000 young aboriginal athletes, representing 33 states and provinces came to Colorado’s Mile High City to compete in 16 sports during the seven-day event.

Five Williams Lake grapplers comprised fully half of the Team B.C. Wrestling contingent, with the balance coming from Kitwanga, Burnaby, Chilliwack, and Port Alberni.

Williams Lake veteran Shenaya Setah dominated the 105-pound Schoolgirl (13 -14) class, beating Ontario’s Madeline Slaats, and Arizona’s Joanna Coochyumbtewa, to take a gold medal.

“Her first match was the tougher of the two,” said Williams Lake’s Rick Bryan, head coach of Team B.C. “She was down in points early on, but she showed great patience, and a strong defence. Then suddenly she was on top, and we all knew she wouldn’t relinquish that position till the referee slapped the mat. What a tough competitor!”

Anaham’s Rubina Haines scrapped her way to a silver medal in the Cadet Women’s (15-16) 105-pound class, losing to Saskatchewan’s Sami Jo Lavallee, then defeating teammate and good friend Shari Harry, who took the bronze. “Rubina deserved the medal. I’ve never seen her wrestle better,” said Bryan. “But full credit to Shari – she gave up an automatic gold medal, as the only one in her weight group, to compete in the next-higher weight class. She came to wrestle, not to take an undeserved medal.”

The three medals won by the local girls were enough to propel Wrestling Team B.C. into a fourth place finish overall in the women’s divisions, proving once again that women’s wrestling in B.C. is as good as anywhere on the continent.

Rounding out Laketown’s medal haul was Anaham’s Frisco Billyboy, with a bronze in the Cadet Men’s 105-pound class. Teammate Joseph Toby missed the medals, finishing fifth in the Cadet Men’s 125-pound category.

Kitwanga’s Dillon Russell scored a gold in the 125-pound Schoolboy class, while silver medals went to Burnaby’s Connor Clifton (120-pound Schoolboy,) Port Alberni’s Isaiah Taylor (165-pound Schoolboy,) and Chilliwack’s James Ford (215-pound Juvenile Men’s). Burnaby’s Dylan Russell took fourth in the 125-pound Cadet Men’s class

In overall team standings, among 33 teams competing in 16 sports, Team B.C. finished strongly in fourth place. “Team Saskatchewan led the pack, with an incredible 194 medals, followed by Ontario (90 medals), New Mexico (75 medals), and Team B.C. (69 medals),” said Bryan. Canadian Teams dominated, taking all but one of the top six team places.

“Full credit to BC’s Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Association for orchestrating the Team BC contingent,” said Bryan. “Their attention to detail was outstanding, and the trip was a wonderful success,” said Bryan. “It was the trip of a lifetime for these young athletes.”

And for an encore? “Plans are already underway for NAIG 2008,” said Bryan. “B.C. will host the Games, at Cowichan, on Vancouver Island. Reserve your seat now!”

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Two WCAP Soldiers set to wrestle world’s best

By Tim Hipps

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 20, 2006) –

Two Soldiers in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program have qualified for the 2006 World Wrestling Championships.

Sgt. Tina George recently joined WCAP teammate Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers on Team USA scheduled to compete Sept. 26 through Oct. 1 at the World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China. Both are stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.

A two-time world silver medalist in the women’s 121-pound freestyle division, George made her seventh U.S. world team June 30 by defeating reigning national champion Sharon Jacobson of El Cajon, Calif., in the Women’s World Team Trials for USA Wrestling at Colorado Springs (Colo.) Christian School.

George won the first match against Gator Wrestling Club’s Jacobson by scores of 1-1, 4-6, 5-3 and prevailed 6-4, 7-1 in the second round of their best-of-three championship series.

“It showcased the level of training that I’ve been in,” said George, 27, who regularly wrestles against men in the Army World Class Athlete Program. “It was a very physical match. At the end of the second match, she had me in a move that could have been a pinning combination, but I decided then that I wasn’t getting pinned and I wasn’t going to go to three matches.”

George hopes to next atone for setbacks at the hands of Japan’s Saori Yoshida, a three-time world champion who defeated her in the finals of the 2003 World Championships at New York’s Madison Square Garden and at the 2002 World Championships in Halkida, Greece.

“The woman to beat is Yoshida, and I think my chances this year are higher than any other year,” George said. “I’m really looking forward to competing against her and showing her what I’ve learned. I don’t feel the normal stress of year-round competition because I had quite a bit of time off this year. As a result, I’m not feeling the typical burnout. I think it’s going to be a great year for me.”

Byers, the 2002 world champion in the Greco-Roman 264.5-pound division, earned his third berth in the World Championships at the men’s World Team Trials for USA Wrestling on May 27 in Sioux City, Iowa.

“I want to be more aggressive on my feet, for sure, and just really avoid making any of those mental mistakes that I did last year,” said Byers, who lost in the second round of the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, to eventual fifth-place finisher Georgiv Tsurtsumia of Kazakhstan. “It’s kind of a redemption thing at this point – focus on getting into the body on these guys and getting back to the guy who won the world in 2002.”

Byers hopes to get another opportunity to wrestle reigning world champion Mijail Lopez of Cuba, who defeated him in the heavyweight finale of the 2006 Pan American Championships on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“In the Pan Am Championships, the first period was all of what it was supposed to have been and then my mind went south,” Byers said of his most recent showdown with Lopez. “He picked it up and then it wasn’t even a fight anymore, so I need to get that back. That’s been haunting me and bothering me so I’ve got to fix that.”

Although Byers’ ultimate goal is to win an Olympic gold medal as promised to his deceased grandfather, he contends that the world championships is the toughest test in amateur wrestling.

“You’re going to get a good showing from everybody there because everybody is putting their best out,” Byers said. “In the rest of the world, that’s more important than the Olympics. That’s just the way it is. I know now that it’s harder to win a world championship than an Olympic medal. Only 20 [athletes in each weight class] compete in the Olympics and everyone is at the World Championships.

“I just want to be on that podium. I want to get our flag raised and our song played. That’s most important right now.”

(Editor’s note: Tim Hipps writes for the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center Public Affairs Office.)
Additional Photos:

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An international affair
Jeffersonville plays host to wrestlers from overseas

By MIKE HUTSELL 7/30/06
sports@newsandtribune.com

JEFFERSONVILLE — With the headlines filled with news of international conflicts abroad, Jeffersonville High School played host to its own “War of the Worlds” Saturday.

Only this one was about friendly competition, cultural learning and fun.

“Team Jeff,” the local wrestling club directed by Jeff High wrestling coach Danny Struck, welcomed 20 wrestlers from Poland and Japan to William S. Johnson Arena for a day of exhibition matches and training exercises.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love doing things like this,” said Struck. “It’s not only a chance for our kids to gain experience on the mat, but it’s a chance for them to learn about kids from other cultures — not just in wrestling but in their everyday life.”

Jeff was the fourth stop for five Polish wrestlers, who have traveled from Chicago to wrestle in Merrillville, Seymour and Jasper before arriving in town Wednesday.

Each wrestler and coach has been housed by volunteers in the community. Struck himself has had two coaches staying at his residence. The Jeff coaches and wrestlers have also stayed busy this week entertaining their guests with trips to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, cookouts and visits to several local shopping centers — including a day at the Bass Pro Shop in Clarksville which went over really well.

“They were amazed by it. I was too, really. I had never been there before,” Struck said. “They all love fishing, so that went over really well. It seemed like they all were buying fishing poles and gifts for people back home while we were there.”

Jeff also had a chance to train with the team and learned that their strength building exercises are very different than those in the states.

“They do not like weightlifting,” Struck said. “They prefer doing push ups, pull ups, gymnastics. They lifted for a while with us and then taught us some of their exercises. What they do to build strength is quite different than our culture.”

The Japanese team, which brought 15 members, has had a shorter stay in the U.S. They arrived earlier this week and wrestled against Columbus East before coming to Jeff. The Japanese team also has a date scheduled to compete in Tell City next week.

Part of Japan’s contingent was a group of female wrestlers who competed against five females from Jeff and the reigning Indiana state champion from New Castle High School.

“Japan is the foremost figure in female wrestling and it is growing in the United States,” said Struck. “I know the interest in our own club has grown substantially over the past few years and it has become more popular around the state the past few years.”

Saturday’s competition allowed each wrestler to compete in at least three matches. An estimated 50 wrestlers from the area competed on the U.S. side. Along with Jeff were wrestlers from Scottsburg, Seymour, Columbus East, Providence, Oldham County and Jennings County.

“More and more coaches are seeing the benefit of this type of competition,” said USA Indiana Wrestling cultural exchange director Howard Jones. “Coach Struck at Jeff has been one of the biggest advocates of international competition in this area. I think he sees its benefits and wants to expose his program to these type of opportunities whenever possible.”

Struck said he has taken several notes over the years that have helped in his coaching endeavors.

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Springtown adding wrestling, soccer for ’06-07 school year

Jimmy Ivey 7/30/06
sports@weatherforddemocrat.com

The need to expand is always a good thing. If a need exists, it needs to be met.

For several years, Springtown ISD has been dealing with this problem when it came to both wrestling and soccer. The need for those sports is being met starting this upcoming school year as boys and girls wrestling and soccer have been added to the school’s athletic program.

“That process was in the works before I was hired as the athletic director,” said Springtown athletic director Brad Turner. ‘I think the first board meeting I went to after I was hired, they approved [adding the sports].

“We have lost some kids here to other schools that do wrestling. That is a concern. We don’t want to lose kids.”

The wrestling season will begin at the end of the football season and runs through the early part of the spring semester.

“There is a big club wrestling program here,” Turner said. “There have been a lot of kids who competed and did well — gone to state. The other good thing about wrestling, that I like, is it gives a kid that weighs 100 pounds who is probably not going to be a good football player because he is little — it gives him something to compete in and be good at.

“The main thing is having a facility to do it, hire a new coach and getting all of the equipment that it entails; and the board approved it.”

The new coach for wrestling is Carl Hornback, who came with Turner from Sulpher Springs.

A place to have wrestling though, is not an easily solved problem. Springtown has options, but they come down to timing more than anything.

“We are still up in the air for where the wrestling is going to be,” Turner said. “We have an indoor facility being built, but it won’t be ready until probably Christmas or the spring. We have several options.”

There is also an elementary gymnasium which does provide space for meets. This location appears to be the most likely place until the new indoor facility is completed. Turner pointed out the wrestling mat, which accounts for a majority of the $10,000 to $12,000 start-up cost, could be used for more than wrestling. Turner hopes the indoor facility will alleviate many of the space issues Springtown has now.

“It is going to be a new program, but we have a lot of kids who have done it,” Turner said. “It is not going to be new to them. It is more new to me because I have not been at a school that has had wrestling.

“Soccer was the same way. We have had a club team, a boys’ and girls’ club team for several years. This year, we hired a soccer coach and he went with the club team.”

The new soccer coach for the boys is John Albritt from Sulpher Springs. The new girls coach is Jessica Lowe, a first-year coach who played collegiate soccer in Michigan.

“I think there will be a little more transition factor in the soccer,” Turner said. “Because we got put in a district with Aledo and Fort Worth Diamond Hill — there are some very good soccer programs in our district.

“Again, we have kids who have done it. It is not like we just said ‘Hey we are going to do this.’”

According to Turner, the bad thing about soccer is that it is hard to do soccer and other sports since soccer overlaps with so many other sports.

The costs for the new sports are high, but will go down after the first year.

“For soccer, we spent about anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 per boys and girls, so $16,000 to $20,000 total,” Turner said. “There are more kids involved and more cost. After that, it is just upkeep and maintenance. It will be comparable to baseball and softball.”

The soccer teams will play at the football stadium, and will have practice facilities both next to the stadium and south of the high school. The soccer teams will also have access to the indoor facility once it is completed.

The plans are to have tennis, drill team and wrestling dress in the indoor facility, but with the exception of basketball, all the sports will be able to use it, especially in the spring when weather is more likely to interfere with practice time.

Turner said once the facility is complete, there will be no conceivable reason to lose any practice time for any sport.